CHARLTON — The town participated in a training on Preventing and Addressing Workplace Discrimination Oct. 17. The Massachusetts Interlocal Insurance Association, Charlton's property and casualty insurance provider, in collaboration with the Massachusetts Commission against Discrimination, offered the training free to participating communities.

Participants learned about prevention of and appropriate response to issues of potential discrimination, including discriminatory harassment, as well as the importance of developing an internal policy and communicating it to all employees. The training session explored situations that should trigger the duty to investigate, and how to ensure discrimination laws are enforced throughout the workplace.

"The training was an eye-opener for staff as to what constitutes discrimination in the workplace, when it should be addressed and by whom," said Charlton Town Administrator Robin Craver. "All supervisors are mandated reporters and should take that responsibility seriously. We found the law to be complicated and appreciated the training provided by MIIA."

Massachusetts employers, including municipalities, cannot discriminate against current or prospective employees based on race, color, religious creed, national origin, ancestry, sex, age, criminal record (inquiries only), handicap (disability), mental illness, retaliation, sexual harassment, sexual orientation, genetics and active military. Upon completion of these and other MIIA risk- and loss-prevention programs, participating communities are eligible for insurance premium credits through the MIIA Rewards Programs.

"Reducing a community's risk takes many forms, including preventing discrimination," said Stanley J. Corcoran, executive vice president, MIIA. "Because of the diverse nature of their workforces and their responsibility to the taxpayers, cities and towns are particularly interested in staying on top of the latest of laws and court actions relative to discrimination. MIIA's training session gives them those updates and reinforces existing regulations thus reducing the risk of an expensive lawsuit."